We are winning

Things are slowly coming into focus. For the American people, for the Middle East and for the world. Because of the valor and determination of American soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen the war on terror is being won. Again and again, day by day, step by step our men and women prove to the Iraqi people and by extension the Middle East and the world that the true intentions of U.S policy is to foster liberty and freedom.

Despite previously ill-conceived strategies and ineffectual policies the U.S. servicemen and women have persevered against a brutal and ruthless enemy in Iraq and are turning the tide. Because we stayed and because the American forces never gave up; Al-Qaeda in Iraq resorted to more and more desperate measures to ramp up the violence in an attempt to foment a rejection of America both in Iraq and back home in the U.S.

But they failed. In carrying out their despicable mandates they showed their true nature as brutal, ruthless, savage fascists. Caring not for a true expression of religion but rather a perverted and repressive ideology. An ideology that has been rejected by the Iraqi people in the Al Anbar province and elsewhere. Al Qaeda’s desperation has warranted a rejection from a previously supportive Saudi cleric Sheik Salman al-Odeh who has asked;


“How much blood has been spilled? How many innocent children, women and old people have been killed, maimed and expelled from their homes in the name of al-Qaida?”


A recent Pew survey shows a marked decline of support in Arab countries for suicide bombings

The percentage of Muslims saying that suicide bombing is justified in the defense of Islam has declined dramatically over the past five years in five of eight countries where trends are available. In Lebanon, for example, just 34% of Muslims say suicide bombings in the defense of Islam are often or sometimes justified; in 2002, 74% expressed this view.

And what to make of the Israeli incursion into Syria to knock out a weapons depot. Where is the hue and cry from the Middle East? Two things come to mind. One, Syria and by extension Iran was caught red-handed with an attempt to jump-start a nuclear program with ready made weapons from North Korea and they don’t wish for further investigation. And two, the ‘moderate’ countries are as fearful of a nuclear Iran/Syria as the rest of the world and are happy to let the Israelis do the dirty work.

Our presence in Iraq has been long, at times discouraging and is far from over. I expect setbacks and detours along the way but the seeds we have sown in Iraq will pay dividends. There are signs of stabilization from Lebanon and the hope for moderation in the greater Arab world with the emerging rejection of Al Qaeda is encouraging.

Update: Very soon after I wrote this reports came out of Lebanon that Antoine Ghane an anti-Syrian Lebanese MP was murdered by a car bomb. The Syrians are feeling the squeeze. Despite all their efforts to the contrary the strong currents of democracy and self-determination still flow in Lebanon. Couple this with their chemical weapons 'accident' and Israel's shredding of their aerial defences and Syria is feeling vulnerable. So they lash out through cowardly terror. I should note that Israel is taking nothing lightly. Despite the Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement holiday all IDF leaves have been cancelled so that the Israeli defences are at full strength.